Racial Differences in Educational Attainments in 2006 for Students Who Were Sophomores in High School Four Years Earlier in 2002

A new report from the U.S. Department of Education offers a snapshot of the educational attainments of students in 2006 who were sophomores in high school four years earlier in 2002. The study found that over 91 percent of the white students had achieved a high school diploma compared to 82 percent of African-American students.

The results showed that 75 percent of the white high school sophomores in 2002 had enrolled in college or other postsecondary educational institution by 2006. For blacks, 62.3 percent went on to higher education. More than 46 percent of the white students had enrolled in a four-year college. For blacks, 32.7 percent were enrolled in four-year colleges or universities. Nearly 17 percent of white high school sophomores had enrolled in highly selective colleges and universities by 2006. This was more than four times the rate for blacks.

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